Assjonob to mablin-bockwelii



L. P. BARLOW- BOMB AND DISCHARGING MEANS THEREFOR,

APPLICATION min llAY 21. me.

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

INENTOR If/($16,

ATTORNEY UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

LESTEB P, BAR-LOW, OI NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB TO MARLIN-ROCKWELL CORPORATION, 01' NEW YORK, N. Y., A; COBP OEATION OF NEW YORK.

. BOMB AND DISCWINGKEANS THEREFOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

Application filed In, 87, 1918. berlal No. 288,815..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I Lns'ran P. BAnmw, a citizen of the United tates residing at New Haven, in the county of New Havenand State .of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bombs and Discharging Means Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to bombs adapted to be dropped or launched from an aeroplane, which explode on contact. The present invention is, in certain respects, an improve- .ment u on a device described in my application erial Number 195,609 entitled Conea bombs, filed October 9, 1917. in the said up lication a construction is illustrated in WhlC the detonator of the bomb is normally suspended at a safe distance to the rear of the explosive chamber, and means are rovided to release the detonator upon'the aunching of the bomb so that the detonator may drop into position to fired upon the impact of the bomb a mst its target. As is described in said app ication the preferred suspension means for the detonator comprises a gin extending with a slidin' fit throught e walls of the casing towa the rear end thereof and through a' portion of the detonator, a s ring bem'g rovided to withdraw the pm rom the detonator when the bomb is launched. In accordance with, the present inventio a flexible wire or cord extends through a hole m the end of the pin referred toto constitute a holdin means for the in until the is launc ed whereu n t flexibl e wire is automatically with rawn and the pin; accordingly withdrawn "from .holdin position in the detonator. When the born is suspended in a vertical ition below the aerop anelt 1s ordinaril 'lizld forward end up by a suitable means he flexible wire extendm from the pm a on the outer casing of the mb to a point 0 fixed attachment to the-aero lung or the bomb cap thereof. When the old ng means for the bomb is released by the aviator, the wire is automatically pulled from the pin as the bomb dro'ps.

In case the b ombll'lll! nded horizontally below the aeroplape, w ich is the more common pract1ce, cspeo1al care must betaken to cause the flexible wire to be withdrawn smoothly from the detonator to release the pin and n such a manner as not to disturb the position of the bomb. The bomb being .toa.

held in the trap in a horizontal position, the fiexlble wire extends along the outer surface of the bomb casing from the pin to a point approximately at the center of gravity of the bomb, at which point the wire is passed upwardly, through a cleat, secured to the bomb casing, the wire being secured above this cleat t0 the bomb tra The bomb is preferably held in position by a strap which passes around the bomb at 01 adjacent to its center of gravity. When the bomb is to be dropped the aviator pulls a connection to 0 en the strap and permit the bomb to dro w ereupon th wire from the detonator hol ing pin is automatically withdrawn. Under these conditions the pull on the wire, as the latter passes through the cleat, does not disturb t e position of the bomb and accordingly, as the bomb drops away from the aeroplane in horizontal positlomthere will be no tendency for the wire to kink or bend 4 about the cleat and the wire will also be In order that a clearer understanding of my invention may be had, attention is here by directed to the-accom anying drawings forming part of this app ication and; illustrating certain embodiments of my invention. 1

In the drawings Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a bomb suspended in-. horiz ontal position below an aeroplane; F1 2 1s a side elevation of a; bomb suspends 1n inverted vertical position below an aeroplane; Fig. 8 is a detail cross-section through the suspending means for the bomb shown, in

.,F1g..1 and Fi 4 is a longitudinal sectional view rough t e rear end of the bomb showin the detonator release mechanism.

. efprring first to Fig. 4, the rear portion of the casm of the bomb,

ter 1 this latter casing-member being joined iorward casing member'2 containing the explosive chamber 8. The detonator is represented at 4 as extending rearwardly from the guidin tube .5' which is connected with and ex'ten .rearwardly from the member .6, havmg'a screw-threaded peri hery as shown at This is screw-threads into a rin 8 wh ch is secured to and uspended from the casing and forms a'rear .closure for the exploslve chamber 8. A booster 9 may be em- I f stream line form, is indicatedfby the re erence characployed and be integral with, or secured to, the closure member 6, a firin in being placed in the lower portion 0 e booster construction to explode the 'detonator when th bomb strikes its target, as is fully described in my said application referred-to. 4

The detonator 4 is suspended in position, until the bomb is dropped, by means of pin 10 which extends throughopposite walls of rear-casing'mem'ber 1 and t r0 h the rear portion '11 'of the detonator, wit

t. The .pin extends some distance beyon the casing on,one side and is provided at: its end with a head or spring, abutment 12. Preferably the in is given an enlarged diameter, as is s ownat 18, from the head 12 to a point adjacent the wall of the casing, to form a support for the spiral spring 14, which is coiled about-the same.

Pin 10 extends a short -distance beyond the opposite wall of the casin and is provided with a. transverse opening Enough which extends a flexible wire or cord 15 which constitutes the holdin means for the pin. Casin member 1 may provided wit bosses 1 16, on its outer surfaces surrounding the Also, i desi openin thl'gelligh which the in 10 extends.

gasket 17, 1 may be positioned against bosses 16, 16 and washers 18, 18, may be loosely slipped over the pm so as to press against the outer surface or the gas ets. en the parts are thus positloped s ring 14 exerts a constant tendency to withraw the in which is resisted by the wire 15, one en .oi the wire being ad'acent to the in so that it may be easily with rawn thererom as shown in Fig. 4.

When: the bomb is to be suspended m a vertical position beneath th aero lane, as is shown in Fi 2, this is p erab y accomplished by he ding the bomb torward end uppermost, a suitable holding means, as a pair of levers indicated diagrammatically at 19-engaging the bomb at the recess formed between the nose piece 20 of the bomb and, the forwarding cas member 2 thereof. These ,lei'ers are suite. 1 secured to and operated fromthe aerop ans indicated diagrammatically '21. A suitable form of trap indicated diagrammaticallyat.

22 may be employed for-holding the bomb steady durin the travel of the aeroplane.

When the mb is to be dropped the levers 19 are released by the aviator. Theflenble wire L5 is fixedly secured to the aeroplane b means'of a pin 28 on the aero lane exten ing through aloop at the end 0 ,a wire. Ao-

cordingl when the bomb drops, wire "15 pulls on of the opening in the pin 10 the pin 10 then being withdrawn from the pater by spring 14. The. bomb will right itself in the air because-of-the Itlblllllllfi vanes 24 at the rear end of the bomban the stream line construction of the bomb. I When the bomb is nupsnded horizontally a sliding ment with the o enin such beneath the aeroplane, as is shown in Fig.

1, it may be secured to the trap 22 by means ,center of'gravity of the bomb. This strap is secured to the transverse member 26 of the trap and is released by the release -wire 21 which extends to the operators position in the'aeroplane, pull on wire 27 resultin in Withdrawing pm 28 from the stra an rmittin'g'the atter to drop into the otted ine position shown in Fig. 3. The bomb is held steady in the position in which it is carried beneath the are'oplane by the lugs 29,

29"on the trap.

The bomb 18 provided with a curved clent 30 extending outwardly from its upper surface at a,po1nt located approximately at the center of gravity of the bomb and-in alinethrough thepin 10 through which t e wire 15 extends.- The wire 15 is'carried along. the outer surface of the bomb from the pin 10 to the .clent 30 and extends through the same, being then curved upwardly to the oint 31 at which it is fixedly secured to t e tra 22 as by means of spin. When-now t e bomb is dropped by the release of strap 25 a considerable gull is exerted on the wire 15 a. the bomb rops away from the trap, but because of the fact that the cleat 30 is positioned at or close to the center of gravity of the bomb, this pull will not disturb'the horizontal position of the bomb., Accordingly, wire 15 will move smoothly through cleat 30 on an easy radius without forming a sharp bend or kink. .If, however the cleat 30 were locatedat a considerable distance from the center of'gravity of the .bomb the pull on wire" 15, as the bomb begins to drop, might be sufficient to throw-the bomb into an inclined position which would result, very possibly in causing the wire to bind in the cleat. It will also be ,noted that the provision of cleat results in the wire 15 being camed'in a straight line, or rather on a gently curving line along the upper surface of the bomb casin from the cleatBO, so that t e possibility of the wire k nk ng or catchm in the openin of the pm is obviated. e placing of t e strap 5 at ap roximatel the center of gravity of the-bom insures t e bomb dropping away from the plans in balanced horizontal os1- tron, As soon as the bomb has gone a s ort distance from the plane and wire 15' has out of its opening inpin 10 the bomb will right itself in the air, as previously esc What I claim is:

1: In a drop bomb, the combination of a casing, hav ng'an ex losive chamber, a dotonator, a pin adapts to extend with a sliding fit through op site lateral walls of said casing, adyacent t e rear end thereof, and

pm 10 to the through a (portion of said detonator; to normally' hol the latter to the rear of said chamber, a wire having one end portion extending through an opening at one end of said pin, a cleat on the outer surface of said casing, in alinement with the opening through said pin, situated at up roximately the center of gravity of the bomb, said wire extending from the pin through said cleat, and being adapted to be secured above the cleat to an element of an aeroplane, when the bomb is suspended horizontally, and spring means to withdraw the in from the detonator when said wire is wit drawn from said pin.

2. In a drop bomb, the combination of a casing, a movable element therein a pin extending with a sliding fit throu op osite walls of said casing and througi sai element, spring means tending to withdraw the same, a wire having one end portion extend through an opening at one end of the pin, a cleat on the outer surface of said casing, at the intermediate section thereof, in alinement with the opening in said pin, and releasable means holdlngthe bomb horizontally below an aeroplane, said wire extending through said cleat andcurving up wardly to a fixed connection with an element of the aeroplane.

3. In a drop bomb, the combination of a casing, a-movable member extending therefrom, a cleat on the outer surface of said casing, situated in approximately the plane of the center of gravity of the bomb, when the latteris suspended horizontally, and a flexible wire for releasably holding said member, extending through said cleat and adapted to be secured above said cleat to an element of an aeroplane, said wire being arranged to be withdrawn from said member by lengthwise pull thereon.

This specification signed and witnessed this 22nd day of Ma 1918.

LES ER P. BARLOW. Witnesses:

Dyna SMITH, I. MOINTOSH. 

